Gas range manifold with control valve mounting means

ABSTRACT

A fuel supply manifold for gas cooking ranges comprising a straight length of square tubing with closed ends and longitudinally spaced perforations in the wall thereof, screwthreaded studs arc welded at one end to the manifold wall surface are positioned adjacent the perforations, and control valves positioned at the perforations have surfaces secured to the manifold wall in fluid-sealing relation by nuts on the studs. In a modification, internally threaded bushings or nuts are arc welded to the manifold, and the control valves are secured to the manifold by screws engaging the nuts. A pressure regulator having an inlet for connection of a perpendicular fuel supply conduit is secured to the manifold wall at one of the end perforations. In a second form of the invention a pressure regulator having an inlet for the connection of a perpendicular supply conduit is secured to the open end of a round manifold pipe by a bayonet latch.

United States Patent 91 Love et al.

[111 3,804,118 Apr. 16, 1974 GAS RANGE MANIFOLD WITH CONTROL VALVE MOUNTING MEANS [75] Inventors: John J. Love; Thomas P. Fleer, both of St. Louis, Mo.

[52] US. Cl. 137/608, 285/158, 251/145 [51] Int. Cl. Fl6k 51/00 [58] Field of Search 137/608, 270, 271;

[5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,232,643 2/1966 Mikeska 285/158 3,756,629 9/1973 Gibb 285/286 3,407,842 10/1968 Zahuranec 137/608 X 3,566,917 3/1971 White 137/608 3,407,833 10/1968 Brandenberg. 137/271 3,572,366 3/1971 Wiggins 137/608 X 3,499,464 3/1970 Williams et al. 137/608 3,559,674 2/1971 Ostwald et al. 137/608 X 3,039,489 6/1962 Botkin 137/608 Primary Examinerl-lenry T. Klinksiek Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Charles E. Markham [5 7] ABSTRACT A fuel supply manifold for gas cooking ranges comprising a straight length of square tubing with closed ends and longitudinally spaced perforations in the wall thereof, screw-threaded studs are welded at one end to the manifold wall surface are positioned adjacent the perforations, and control valves positioned at the perforations have surfaces secured to the manifold wall in fluid-sealing relation bynuts on the studs. in a modification, internally threaded bushings or nuts are arc welded to the manifold, and the control valves are secured to the manifold by screws engaging the nuts. A pressure regulator having an inlet for connection of a perpendicular fuel supply conduit is secured to the manifold wall at one of the end perforations.

In a second form of the invention a pressure regulator having an inlet for the connection of a perpendicular supply conduit is secured to the open end of a round manifold pipe by a bayonet latch.

8 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures GAS RANGE MANIFOLD WITH CONTROL VALVE MOUNTING MEANS This invention relates to fuel supply manifolds with control valves mounted thereon for controlling the fuel supply to top burners and oven burners of gas cooking ranges, and particularly to an improved and economical construction with novel means for conveniently securing manual and automatic control valves to the manifold in fluid-sealing relation.

In prior arrangements the manual control valves have been secured to the manifold by providing internally threaded perforations in the wall of the manifold to receive pipe-threaded extensions of the control valve hedies, and one end of the manifold was bent at 90, or fitted with a 90 ell, to provide for connection of a fuel supply conduit lying perpendicular to the manifold along one side of the gas range. Difficulty is encountered in this arrangement when attempting to line up the handles or knobs on the various control valves due to variations in the screw threads which require the pipe threaded portion of one valve to be screwed in further than another to achieve a fluid tight connection.

A more recent arrangement for mounting the control valves on a manifold, disclosed in US. Pat. No. 3,602,480, involves the provision of a relatively complex bracket and considerable configuration of the manifold pipe to accommodate the control valve. and

bracket.

An object of this invention is to provide convenient screw-threaded means for securing the control valves to the manifold wall without perforating or forming the manifold or employing brackets.

A further object is to provide a fuel supply manifold with control valves attached thereto by screw-threaded elements or studs are welded to the outer wall surface of the manifold with cooperating screw-threaded elements clamping the control valves thereto.

A further object is to provide a straight fuel supply manifold pipe having closed ends and a pressure regulator connected to the wall thereof including an inlet for the connection of a fuel supply conduit lying perpendicular to the manifold.

A further object is to provide a fuel supply manifold comprising a straight length of tubing with one closed end and having a pressure regulator valve connected to the open end thereof including an inlet for the connection of a supply conduit lying perpendicular to the manifold.

A further object is to provide a fuel supply manifold pipe with longitudinally spaced outlet perforations in the wall thereof for communication with the inlet passages of control valves to be mounted thereon and having screw-threaded members arc welded to the outer wall surface thereof, one on each side of an outlet perforation, for the cooperation therewith of screwthreaded members clamping the control valves to the manifold.

Further objects and advantages will appear from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a fuel supply manifold for a gas range constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view through a manual top burner control valve showing the mounting means therefor and is taken along line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partially sectionalized view of an automatic oven control valve showing the mounting means therefor and is taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a pressure regulator mounted near one end of the manifold and is taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view showing an alternate method of mounting a pressure regulator on an open end of a round manifold pipe.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the pressure regulator shown in FIG. 5 and is taken along the longitudinal center line of the manifold; and

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view through a manual, top burner, control valve showing another form of screw-threaded means for securing the valve to the manifold.

Referring to the drawing in more detail, a fuel supply manifold adapted to be mounted on the front of a gas cooking range is generally indicated at 10. Preferably,

manifold 10 comprises a straight length of steel tubing of rectangular cross-section. However, a round tub'e may be employed with suitable provision for the sealing engagement of control valves to the arcuate surface. The ends of manifold 10 are closed by suitable plugs 12. The manifold 10 has a series of round perforations 14 in the wall thereof spaced along thetop side thereof to provide communication between the interior of the manifold and the fluid passages 16 and 18, respectively, in manual top burner control valves'20 and the automatic oven control valve 22 mounted thereon. There is also a perforation 24 in the side wall of the manifold 10 near one end providing communicationbetween the interior of the manifold and the passage through a pressure regulator 26 mounted thereon, see FIG. 4.

The manual valves 20 are shown as conventional tapered plug cocks having vertically and horizontally aligned stems 28 projecting from one side for the mounting of manual knobs (not shown) and having aligned outlet fuel jets or orifice members 30 projecting from the other side for supplying fuel to the top burners. The automatic oven control valve 22 is also provided with a knob mounting stem 28 projecting from one side thereof and an outlet fitting 32 for the connection of a conduit (not shown) leading to the oven burners.

The pressure regulator 26 is shown mounted on a side of the manifold adjacent the top side and has a screw-threaded, horizontal, inlet passage 34 extending perpendicular to manifold 10 to receive a fuel supply conduit 36. This arrangement permits extending the fuel supply conduit parallel with one side of a gas range without bending the manifold or supply pipe or providing additional fittings. The pressure regulator may, of course, be mounted on the bottom side of the manifold if desired, thereby to provide a downwardly directed inlet perpendicular to the manifold.

The pressure regulator valve 26 is of conventional construction and operation, having a valve 38 controlling the passage therethrough and a flexible diaphragm 40 biased in a valve opening direction by a spring 42. The diaphragm 40 is vented to atmosphere on one side through a vent 44 and is exposed to gas supply pressure on the other side thereof. The casing 46 of the pressure regulator has a rectangular recess 48 in the bottom side thereof which receives the manifold 10, and a soft sealing gasket 50 is provided between the manifold and the bottom of recess 48, see FIG. 4.

Screw-threaded connecting members or studs 52 are positioned on two opposite sides of each of the perforations 14 and 24 for the rigid screw-threaded attachment of the control valves 20 and 22 and pressure regulator 26 to the manifold 10.

The studs 52 are arc welded at one end to the outer surface of the manifold 10 by an economical, automated operation which precisely locates and securely welds the stud to the manifold without perforation or weakening the wall of the manifold. The bodies of the manual valves 20 and pressure regulator valve 26 are provided with perforated flange portions 54 and 56, respectively, which receive the studs 52 and are rigidly clamped to the manifold by nuts 58. In the case of the automatic oven control valve 22, the studs 52 extend through the body.

Soft gaskets 60 placed between the flanges 54 of the manual valves and the manifold and a soft gasket 62 placed between the body of the automatic control valve 22 and the manifold seal the connection between the interior of the manifold and the fluid passages in the valves. It will be understood that instead of employing the extensive gaskets 60 and 62, as shown, small diameter gaskets 60a may be employed and inserted into recesses 61 in the bottom surfaces of the manual and automatic valves surrounding the passages 16 and 18, as shown in FIG. 7. Such smaller gaskets 60a are slightly thicker than the depth of the recesses 61 and are compressed when nuts 58 are tightened.

FIGS. and 6 show an arrangement for mounting a pressure regulator valve 26a on the open end of a round manifold 100 which has an inlet passage 34a perpendicular to the manifold for the connection of a gas supply conduit 36a and an outlet 64 parallel with and in communication with the open end of a round manifold a. The outlet 64 has a slightly tapered, counterbored portion 66 receiving an end portion of manifold 10a, and a soft compressible washer 68 is positioned between the end of manifold 10a and the bottom of counterbore 66.

The manifold 10a is provided with a screw-threaded stud 52a are welded at one end to the wall surface thereof, and the pressure regulator body 46a has a bayonet slot formed therein having a portion 70 parallel with the manifold and a portion 72 perpendicular thereto, see FIG. 5. The stud 52a is so spaced with relation to the end of the manifold 10a and the slot portion 72 is so spaced from the bottom of counterbore 66 that the washer 68 is substantially compressed when the stud 52a is entered into slot 72. A nut 58a on stud 52a locks the regulator casing 46a against rotation on the manifold.

In the arrangement shown in FIG. 7, an internally threaded bushing 74 is are welded to the surface of the manifold 10 on each side of aperture 14 in lieu of the studs 52, and machine screws 76 passing through the flange portion 54a of the control valves and threadedly engaging bushing 74 secure the valves to the manifold. Also, the flange portions 54a are offset to receive the bushings 74.

We claim:

1. A gas supply manifold for a gas cooking range comprising a length of tubing having a plurality of longitudinally spaced openings in the wall thereof, a plurality of manual control valves each comprising a valve body having a fluid passageway therethrough registering with one of said wall openings and having a surface around said opening contiguous with said manifold wall, a plurality of connecting members adjacent each of said openings, said connecting members being arc welded to the outer surface of said manifold wall and each of said connecting members having a screwthreaded surface extending perpendicular to said manifold wall, screw-threaded means engaging said screwthreaded surfaces of i said connecting members and clamping said valve body to said manifold wall, and pliable sealing gasket means around said wall openings and between said valve bodies and said manifold wall.

2. The gas supply manifold claimed in claim 1 in which said manifold comprises a length of steel tubing, in which said connecting members are screw-threaded steel studs arc welded at one end thereof to the outer surface of said manifold wall and extending perpendicular therefrom and extending through portions of said valve body, and in which said screw-threaded means are nuts.

3. The gas supply manifold claimed in claim 1 in which said manifold comprises a length of steel tubing, in which said connecting members are internally screwthreaded bushings are welded to the outer surface of said manifold wall, and in which said screw-threaded means are screws passing through portions of said valve body and threadedly engaging said bushings.

4. A fuel supply manifold for a gas cooking range comprising a straight length of tubing adapted to be mounted along the front of a gas range, said tubing having both ends closed, a series of longitudinally spaced outlet openings in the wall of said manifold and an inlet opening in the wall thereof near one end, control valves attached to the wall of said manifold at said outlet openings and a pressure regulator attached to the wall of said manifold at said inlet opening, said pressure regulator comprising a body member having fluid passage means therethrough including inlet and outlet portions, and having said outlet portion registering with said inlet opening in said manifold wall, and having an inlet portion extending perpendicular to said manifold and adapted to receive a fuel supply conduit lying perpendicular to said manifold.

5. The fuel supply manifold claimed in claim 4 in which said manifold comprises a straight length of tubing having a rectangular cross-sectional configuration and in which said outlet openings therein are spaced longitudinally along one side thereof and said inlet opening therein is in a side adjacent to this said one side.

6. A fuel supply manifold for a gas cooking range comprising a straight length of round tubing adapted to be mounted along the front of a gas range, said tubing having a closed end and an open end, a series of longitudinally spaced outlet openings in the wall of said manifold, control valves attached to the wall of said manifold at said outlet openings, and a pressure regulator attached to said open end of said manifold, said pressure regulator comprising a body member having a fluid passageway therethrough, and said passageway having an inlet end portion perpendicular to said manifold and an outlet end portion parallel with and concentric with the open end of said manifold.

7. The fuel supply manifold claimed in claim 6 in which the said outlet end portion of said fluid passageway through said regulator body receives a portion of said manifold at its open end.

8. A supply manifold for a gas cooking range comprising a straight length of tubing adapted to be mounted along the front of a gas range, said tubing having both ends closed, a series of longitudinally spaced outlet openings in the wall of said tubing and an inlet opening in the wall thereof near one end, a plurality of nuts adjacent said inlet opening and said outlet openadapted to receive a gas supply conduit. 

1. A gas supply manifold for a gas cooking range comprising a length of tubing having a plurality of longitudinally spaced openings in the wall thereof, a plurality of manual control valves each comprising a valve body having a fluid passageway therethrough registering with one of said wall openings and having a surface around said opening contiguous with said manifold wall, a plurality of connecting members adjacent each of said openings, said connecting members being aRc welded to the outer surface of said manifold wall and each of said connecting members having a screw-threaded surface extending perpendicular to said manifold wall, screw-threaded means engaging said screwthreaded surfaces of said connecting members and clamping said valve body to said manifold wall, and pliable sealing gasket means around said wall openings and between said valve bodies and said manifold wall.
 2. The gas supply manifold claimed in claim 1 in which said manifold comprises a length of steel tubing, in which said connecting members are screw-threaded steel studs arc welded at one end thereof to the outer surface of said manifold wall and extending perpendicular therefrom and extending through portions of said valve body, and in which said screw-threaded means are nuts.
 3. The gas supply manifold claimed in claim 1 in which said manifold comprises a length of steel tubing, in which said connecting members are internally screw-threaded bushings arc welded to the outer surface of said manifold wall, and in which said screw-threaded means are screws passing through portions of said valve body and threadedly engaging said bushings.
 4. A fuel supply manifold for a gas cooking range comprising a straight length of tubing adapted to be mounted along the front of a gas range, said tubing having both ends closed, a series of longitudinally spaced outlet openings in the wall of said manifold and an inlet opening in the wall thereof near one end, control valves attached to the wall of said manifold at said outlet openings and a pressure regulator attached to the wall of said manifold at said inlet opening, said pressure regulator comprising a body member having fluid passage means therethrough including inlet and outlet portions, and having said outlet portion registering with said inlet opening in said manifold wall, and having an inlet portion extending perpendicular to said manifold and adapted to receive a fuel supply conduit lying perpendicular to said manifold.
 5. The fuel supply manifold claimed in claim 4 in which said manifold comprises a straight length of tubing having a rectangular cross-sectional configuration and in which said outlet openings therein are spaced longitudinally along one side thereof and said inlet opening therein is in a side adjacent to this said one side.
 6. A fuel supply manifold for a gas cooking range comprising a straight length of round tubing adapted to be mounted along the front of a gas range, said tubing having a closed end and an open end, a series of longitudinally spaced outlet openings in the wall of said manifold, control valves attached to the wall of said manifold at said outlet openings, and a pressure regulator attached to said open end of said manifold, said pressure regulator comprising a body member having a fluid passageway therethrough, and said passageway having an inlet end portion perpendicular to said manifold and an outlet end portion parallel with and concentric with the open end of said manifold.
 7. The fuel supply manifold claimed in claim 6 in which the said outlet end portion of said fluid passageway through said regulator body receives a portion of said manifold at its open end.
 8. A supply manifold for a gas cooking range comprising a straight length of tubing adapted to be mounted along the front of a gas range, said tubing having both ends closed, a series of longitudinally spaced outlet openings in the wall of said tubing and an inlet opening in the wall thereof near one end, a plurality of nuts adjacent said inlet opening and said outlet openings, said nuts being arc welded to the outer surface of said tubing, control valves at said outlet openings and a pressure regulator at said inlet opening, said control valves and said pressure regulator comprising body members attached to said manifold by screws engaging said nuts, said regulator body having a fluid passageway therethrough including an outlet portion registering with said manifold inlet opening and an inlet portion Extending perpendicular from said manifold and adapted to receive a gas supply conduit. 